Week 6 Rankings: Top 60 Wide Receivers

There are a lot of question marks surrounding wide receivers as we head to Week 6, whether it be due to injuries to themselves or their quarterbacks. Let’s take a look at how things currently look (remember, we will be updating these later in the week, if necessary):

Reggie Wayne – Indianapolis Colts – at Washington

Hakeem Nicks – New York Giants – vs. Detroit

Miles Austin – Dallas Cowboys – at Minnesota

Anquan Boldin – Baltimore Ravens – at New England

Andre Johnson – Houston Texans – vs. Kansas City

Randy Moss – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Dallas

Brandon Marshall – Miami Dolphins – at Green Bay

Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons – at Philadelphia

Wes Welker – New England Patriots – vs. Baltimore

Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions – at New York Giants

Malcolm Floyd – San Diego Chargers – at St. Louis

Marques Colston – New Orleans Saints – at Tampa Bay

Hines Ward – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Cleveland

Austin Collie – Indianapolis Colts – at Washington

DeSean Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles – vs. Atlanta

Brandon Lloyd – Denver Broncos – vs. New York Jets

Percy Harvin – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Dallas

Greg Jennings – Green Bay Packers – vs. Miami

Mike Wallace – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Cleveland

Dwayne Bowe – Kansas City Chiefs – at Houston

Steve Smith – New York Giants – vs. Detroit

Johnny Knox – Chicago Bears – vs. Seattle

Danny Amendola – St. Louis Rams – vs. San Diego

Jeremy Maclin – Philadelphia Eagles – vs. Atlanta

Santana Moss – Washington Redskins – vs. Indianapolis

Pierre Garcon – Indianapolis Colts – at Washington

Kenny Britt – Tennessee Titans – at Jacksonville

Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Oakland

Kevin Walter – Houston Texans – vs. Kansas City

Braylon Edwards – New York Jets – at Denver

Donald Driver – Green Bay Packers – vs. Miami

Devin Hester – Chicago Bears – vs. Seattle

Legedu Naanee – San Diego Chargers – at St. Louis

Mike Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. New Orleans

Santonio Holmes – New York Jets – at Denver

Davone Bess – Miami Dolphins – at Green Bay

Roy Williams – Dallas Cowboys – at Minnesota

Mike Sims-Walker – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Tennessee

Mario Manningham – New York Giants – vs. Detroit

Louis Murphy – Oakland Raiders – at San Francisco

Derrick Mason – Baltimore Ravens – at New England

Mike Thomas – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Tennessee

Brandon Tate – New England Patriots – vs. Baltimore

Eddie Royal – Denver Broncos – vs. New York Jets

Jacoby Jones – Houston Texans – vs. Kansas City

Nate Washington – Tennessee Titans – at Jacksonville

Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys – at Minnesota

Chris Chambers – Kansas City Chiefs – at Houston

Jabar Gaffney – Denver Broncos – vs. New York Jets

Mohamed Massaquoi – Cleveland Browns – at Pittsburgh

Robert Meachem – New Orleans Saints – at Tampa Bay

Earl Bennett – Chicago Bears – vs. Seattle

T.J. Houshmandzadeh – Baltimore Ravens – at New England

Justin Gage – Tennessee Titans – at Jacksonville

Nate Burleson – Detroit Lions – at New York Giants

Lance Moore – New Orleans Saints – at Tampa Bay

Julian Edelman – New England Patriots – vs. Baltimore

Demaryious Thomas – Denver Broncos – vs. New York Jets

Jerricho Cotchery – New York Jets – at Denver

Joshua Cribbs – Cleveland Browns – at Pittsburgh

Thoughts:

Ankle problems or not, if Andre Johnson is playing he’s a Top 5 option against the Chiefs this week. If he were healthy he’d have likely been the top option, but we’ll hold off on putting him there depending on the news later in the week.

No one is questioning who the Giants top receiver is at this point, are they? Steve Smith has clearing taken a backseat to Hakeem Nicks, who already has six touchdowns on the year.

With Randy Moss now in Minnesota, will the inability to stretch the field make it more difficult for Wes Welker to do his thing? Time will tell, but for now I’m not going to put him in the Top 10, but this week will give us a much better idea of how defenses are going to attack them going forward.

With Ben Roethlisberger returning, now may finally be Mike Wallace’s chance to step up and shine. He has just nine catches on the season, but look for them to try and stretch the field against the Browns and make a quick statement.

Not surprisingly, with Kevin Kolb in DeSean Jackson struggled with just two catches for 24 yards. Even with a favorable matchup, he’s more of a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 until Michael Vick returns.

Calvin Johnson would be downgraded this week going against the Giants alone. Of course, he may not play at all due to a shoulder injury. He gets a spot for now, but may have to be scratched completely by the end of the week.

For now Braylon Edwards remains the top ranked Jets receiver, but it’s only a matter of time before Santonio Holmes overtakes him. Just keep that in mind.

Danny Amendola showed quickly that he could step into the #1 receiver role with the injury of Mark Clayton. He had 12 catches for 95 yards in Week 5 and has 33 for the season. He’s worth considering as a WR2 in all formats.

It appears Jay Cutler is set to return to the lineup this week for the Chicago Bears. That has to be a relief for owners of Johnny Knox and the rest of the receiving corps.

Aaron Rodgers status for Week 6 is unknown, so for now I will continue to rank the Packers receivers as if he were going to play. If he doesn’t, they all will be downgraded, especially with a tough matchup against the Dolphins.

With Pierre Garcon back in the mix, he and Austin Collie could easily go back and forth as to who will get the majority of catches outside of Reggie Wayne. That hurts them both slightly, but both are usable against a Redskins team allowing 298.0 passing yards per game.

This has got to be considered Dwayne Bowe’s final opportunity, doesn’t it? For as bad as he’s been, the Houston Texans have been the worst passing defense in the game (329.6 passing yards per game, 11 TD). If he’s ever going to be usable, this has got to be the week. Consider him a WR2, but if he fails, it could be time to move on.

Malcolm Floyd erupted in Week 5, for 213 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions. With the Rams on the schedule, he could be in store for another big week.

I’m not a big fan of the Titans receivers, but Kenny Britt has a touchdown in three straight games and the Jaguars have allowed a league leading 11 TDs. It certainly seems like Britt is putting things together at the right time. Consider him a potential low-end WR2 this week, as there still is a lot of risk. I’d much rather him being my WR3.

What are your thoughts on these rankings? Who’s too high? Who’s too low?

9 comments

Looking to drop Jacoby Jones for a new WR…. I am in first place, so I have the last waiver priority slot – meaning that I need to set up a few different waiver claims. How would you order these players?
Meachem, Manningham, Roy E Williams, Laurent Robinson, Legedu Naanee, Danny Amendola, Deion Branch

Currently I have them as follows:
1. Branch
2. Amendola
3. Meachem
4. Naanee
5. Williams (as a handcuff for Miles Austin)
6. Manningham

In light of the Vincent Jackson news, he should be eligible to play in weeks 13 and on. It’s looking like I’ll have the luxury of “stashing” a wide and still be okay and make the playoffs. That said, is it worth it to drop Knox or S. Holmes (my 4th/5th WR’s in a non-ppr, 3 WR-start league) for VJax or is it too much of a risk?

And if the jury is to pick up V-Jax, who is the recommended drop, Knox of Holmes? Thanks in advance!

V-Jax will be valuable when he’s back, so I would probably make a move. Of the two, I like Knox more then Holmes because of the offense. While the Jets have passed a lot, they are built towards the run. As the weather turns, I would expect more carries for LT and Greene. Chicago, on the other hand, is built to pass. I’d dump Holmes for V-Jax as he has more upside, and it’s a luxury anyways.

Yea, it’s a real crapshoot there. I have Crabtree as the highest, so I would have to lean there at this point. Sims-Walker has been way too hit or miss (games with 0 catches?!?!_ and we still don’t know exactly how the Patriots offense will run without Moss.

I’d probably use Sims-Walker next, based on the matchup, but is there anyone else either on your roster or on the waiver wire that may make sense?

If P.Thomas doesn’t play. I will have to use one of the above. Or Mike Thomas is also out there, but I am leaning more to MSW- am I wrong? Besides that, I could pick up Cadillac and use him for my flex player. not much else out there.
As of now (assuming Thomas is out)
Crabtree gets the nod, it should be a good match up for him, and it seems like the team is committing more to him.
I like Tate, but I think he will stay on my bench to see how the new NE offense looks.
So rolling the dice with Sims-Walker again. it worked out last week.

I know your down on Jennings, but how will you feel if you bench him and he finally breaks out? The talk in Green Bay is to get him more involved, and with JerMichael Finley out they almost have to. He’s really too good to bench, so I would roll with him again, for better or worse.